Day 70: Early Riser

This is not a country that gets up very early even on weekdays. Today, I awoke at 6:30 and was restless to get going. I dwaddled in my room and finally went down to the lobby of the hotel at 7:30 to see if I could get some breakfast and use the internet. The receptionist looked at me like I was crazy for being up so early and sternly told me that the restaurant would not open until 8:00 a.m. I pulled out my laptop and read the news until 8:00 a.m. No signs of movement or smells of cooking, so I decided to make the most of my morning, join the tweeting birds, and go for a walk through the streets of Taraz. I found delightful surprises - green, shady walkways, fountains, a crisp tingle to the air with mountains visible in the distance. And I had the feeling that I had this charming town all to myself in the early hours of the day. Peace.

Main street in Taraz

Looking towards the mountains (and sun)

Main square with fountains

Important-looking building with a park, benches, and fountains

A yurt in the yard of a city complex

Pretty flowers I stopped to say hello to along the way

I like the feeling this statue conveys - beyond words

From a bit later in the day, these are some students that I hung out with in the park making TARAZ with body letters.

Day 69: Apples are from Kazakhstan

Before coming to Kazakhstan, I read Apples are from Kazakhstan by Christopher Robbins. It was a gentle, positive read about my new home and I quite enjoyed it. The title itself is memorable and seems to ring true. Check out this story and pictures from the BBC.


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Today, we drove about four hours between Shymkent and Taraz (about 180 kilometers) over and through some mountainous terrain. We passed many stands of fresh fruit and apples, and I couldn't resist stopping to buy some from someone along the road.

For three dollars a bucket, we bought one of the red and one of the yellow. The seller assured me they were domestic apples, and that the presence of imperfections or worms only means that they are truly natural. The red apples were huge, crisp, and a little bit sour. The small yellow ones called лимонки (lemonki) were my favorites - sweet and fragrant. It made for a delicious journey between cities.

Day 68: Bows and Aprons

School girls in an Uzbek village called Sairam

Skipping away - School is finally finished at 7pm on Friday night in Sairam!

Day 66: Visit to Southern Kazakhstan

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I flew down to Shymkent today on a work trip and had the chance to breathe southern air -- and it smells sweet! Indeed, I feel as if I were in a somewhat different country that is almost the same. I guess after traveling 1,600 kilometers (1000 miles), you should feel as if you went someplace new.  

First impressions? The air seems more humid. More people speak Kazakh on the streets and hotel than in Astana (although they understand and speak Russian). The stereotypical chaotic driving seems to hold somewhat true for those bearing an "x" at the front of their license denoting residence in Shymkent. Structures seem older and less winterized. Time seems to be a more fluid concept with meetings taking place "when we arrive," no matter what the schedule indicates. It's nice down here - take a look for yourself!

Day 65: Too spicy

Tonight we hosted another dinner party for a mixed Kazakh-American crowd. In an attempt to be efficient with our time for a mid-week feast, we used some spaghetti sauce that we made over the weekend and just served up fresh noodles for the small group of friends.

Some cultural discoveries courtesy of our Kazakhstani guests:

• Don't get cold feet! Our lady guests arrived in stocking feet and her fiance immediately insisted that we find slippers for her so that she would not catch a cold. The hostess, yours truly, was wandering around the house in bare feet.
• Watch out for cold drinks! The same couple worried when we pulled juice out of the fridge. In a very manly way, the male guest snatched the cold glass away from the lady so that she would not suffer (and we pulled warm juice out of the pantry).
• Be wary of drafts! We seated our guests next to the window and as the evening wore on, the fresh air became worrisome.
• Stay away from spicy food! Our guests did not do well with the chili peppers in the sauce, becoming red in the face and resorting to many pieces of bread instead.
• Stick to "normal" tea! After a suite of other strange incidents in the evening, we served tea. Upon deciding which tea to serve (we suggested peppermint), our guest sighed and suggested just normal, black tea. No problem! 

Funny how many of these superstitions work across cultures -- and how some typical American behaviors become problematic. If our guests decide to return to our home (and we hope they do!), we'll know just how to make them more cozy.

Day 64: Cookies

Yup, they taste the same as in America. Nothing like a bit of chocolate chip happiness on a day off -- Labor Day today.

(As a side note, the cookie sheet was an uber fancy gift from my parents for Christmas and bakes like a charm.)

День 63: Посвящён моим одноклассникам

At the supermarket recently I remarked that I had never had a Kinder Surprise (chocolate eggs filled with tiny toys, banned in the US, apparently. To me, the thrill is akin to opening up a box of Cracker Jacks and looking for the fake tattoo or tiny toy inside. My husband bought me the chocolate treat, and I opened it up right away to find my miniature prize.

I smiled and immediately thought of my wonderful classmates from my Russian classes back in Virginia and our soulful rendition of the lion and turtle song from the Soviet cartoon.

As our classes together started nearly a year ago now, this post is dedicated to my classmates who endured many months of Russian with good humor, dedication, and friendship. I was so lucky to be surrounded with their wisdom as veterans in the same system and their great attitudes. I only wish that the Russian speaking world were a bit smaller so that we could meet up more easily to laugh and share.

Носорог, рог, рог идёт, 

Крокодил, дил, дил плывёт, 

Только я всё лежу 

И на солнышко гляжу.

Day 62: С Днём Знаний

Today was the ceremonial opening of schools in Kazakhstan.The symbolic day is a celebration of teachers, students, and education! The town was crawling with students and parents dressed in their best. In front of our building, there were kids with balloons. I think every academic year should open with such pomp and celebration. Learning is exciting and should be valued and celebrated!

С Днём Знаний! 

(Happy Day of Knowledge!)

Today Kazakhstan celebrates knowledge day - kazinform

Day 61: Observations from a High-rise

Tonight we had dinner with some neighbors who live in a tall building and have a great view out on the neighborhood. We live in a pretty central and somewhat upscale area of Astana. There are many large, fancy-looking individual family homes surrounding us. It's a good neighborhood with newer construction. Interesting to observe from a birds-eye view was the number of these large, fancy homes that still have outhouses. Given the choice of an outhouse or indoor plumbing in a place that gets -40 in the winter, I would have no hesitation to opt for the indoor toilet. Any insights on this one are appreciated...

Day 60: Kazakh Fitness is a Walk in the Park

Today was a mid-week national holiday, Constitution Day, and we enjoyed the feeling of playing hooky between work days. I had hoped for a large-scale military parade, but the march was called off this year to economize. In its absence, we filled our day with work at home, shopping, cooking, and cake baking, but we took some time out in the afternoon to join Kazakhs in one of their favorite pastimes, strolling in the park. We stumbled across newly installed fitness apparatus at the edge of the central park, a park that is teaming with kids, parents, and young people on the weekends and holidays. Passersby were there trying their hand at pumping iron mid-walk. The equipment is super sturdy and bolted into concrete. We decided to pause and get in a few reps before meandering home. Now, that's a fun public health initiative I can get into!